Tractor cultivator



f March 22,1932. D: C* HEWSHU 1,85o,717

TRACTOR CULTIVATOR 'Filed July 6, 1951 w@ #www 'f *mi IN VEN TOR. 7A/V/fL 0- Hf'/ sf/U ATTORNEY.

, y n PtentedMar; 22,2.:1932

l sf#rn?Tiezs PLATEN fr .f rmcroncULTrvAron d 1 limit/cion ined miie,1931.1.ser1a`1 No. 548,735.k

. Myinventionrelates to cultivators particularly adapted foruseintilling irrigatedland prepared kfor/theV growth ofvegetables fbyjwhich 4I 'ani enabled ,`to"eii'ectivel`y cultivate j 5 and" weed beds'and the ditchesorurrows therebetween, andfinaintain theininsuitable fcondition, aswell; as to properlyr disintegrate and trench the' ditches'Vto readily" absorb Ineistureic'ontained therein, myl object beingy '10to provide a tractor. operated ctlltivator,y although animal drawn`implements" equipped with niyfimpi'ove'nints maybe satisfactorilyeni-ployed,as willhereinafterappear; Y' e Y In v",theaccolnpanyingdrawings,` forming tractor-cultivator embodying inyimprovements,`certain levers andother detail constructionheingpnttedfrointhe tractorfor purposes of elearness; vFig.4 2, a transverse verti- Yzo anemona-1.awaken-1 sa the 'dotted une 2.2 in Fig. 1; Fignfa longitudinalsectional n 1 knivesilQI provide standards QOwhich. atf view'talen onthedottedline 3- `-3 iny Figgl; Fig;.4,j a view looking-from., the rear,the

@tractor and in-the y"cultiv'ator iframesbeing`y -oinitted, ftoclearly"v 'show the `relation of thel l tractor;y 'wheelsFand Ythejcultivator wheelsfto eachotherandalso ytheir relation to the land beingcultivated; .and lzlig. jis a 'detail illus- Itrating 2a;trencliiforrnedf in -y a ditch by' lone of 'tli'ecultivaton shovels. A

gatedlarid prepard fortheV pfoduetiniof lettuce, 1 which is' arrangedin' rowsv in leveled "6 .infparallel r'elatien;i such beds and. coin-:pleinentary ditches commonly extending straightaway an appreciabledistance accord ying to yland areas, in some instances *being* apeyditches 6 atieach side thereof are considerably f "lower, and themanner yof arrangenieiitis of y 45 agcharactery tof' accommodate ,theWheels of Y my improved tractor-cultivatorwas: will now be' explained.y

Thetrator 8 `may 'beof Yany desired conward' sides withy substantiallyduplicate In saiijamwiagsl haveiiiu'strmd my im; 'vprovedftractorcultivator as Aapplied kto irriridges "or Vbeds 5 Ypositioned `-betweenditches struction, and is'provided at each of 'its'forframesincluding'drawbars*9 secured to a supf porting bar l() onthestractoror otherwise. To the crossbarll of saidfraniesor-'in'otherdesired manner "I 'secure a wheel-supporting standard `f12byrneans of'clips or'U-'bolts 1,4 in` 55 a mannertov be vertically adjusted,andwhich standardv vmay beV forwardly curved kas "findicated in Fig. 3'or of other appropriate formation so that an axle 15 may beinountedthere- Y on for ysupport-ing iafguide andf fgagefwheel @c elhavingra-widened riin, as shown in Fig.f2,i fora purpose to appear. iRea'rvi'rardly'A oifsaid wheelfll i I mount kf Ya tool-bar `17forming'fq` v19 or other tools,,thoseillustrated being p0,-

sitioned atan angle 'tothe fdirectionof travel of thek cultivator andadapted Yfor cutting'the t weeds, disintegratingfand.cultivating thesoil. 'io' At oppcsitesides-ot thejframe Vbeyondthel theirV lower endscarry ridge knives '21. of curved 'or vother formation, said standardsbeingsecured to the tool-bar 17," as 'at 22, in 75 any desired manner. 5y 4 'i Y The tractor, asis common,is supported `by "ay fiorward'wheel ora` pair of closely assembledfste'eringfwheels 25, and by rearV y'driveing wheelsi26,:the distance betweenthe'latter se, l

being so regulatedlthat they will lit into and travelthrough the ditches6. astride twobeds f i5, whiletheforward steering `Wheels traversethe-intermediate ditch substantiallyginQthe u relative positionindicated in Figs." :Ak tool` 85k -hol dingbar 2'? is supported bysuitable farms y28h or 'otherwise associatedy with g the tractor, :andcarries cultivator lshovels e 29AY lconnectedto thezbar by supports` .30in aV well known manner,athes`e i, 'shovels being` so positioned '9e y las to. travel .through the Iditches .6l infthef; manner indicatedin-vFigsa- 1 and 5. It will' i Vbeunderstood .that the tractor and theycliltif vator gangs are provided `with Vleversfand other devices forvertically adjusting the for- 951 ward and rear gangs in?,relationto`lthe soil, as well.v as other equipment, bt'as suchy devices and'attachments are. noy part'of my present invention they have j been[omitted KVfrom the drawings for purpose'sfof `cle'arness, 100 ,a

i thet tractor wheels, Fig. 4, traveling in the ditches is or furrows,but as inequalities in the surface of the soil exist in the way ofslight elevzitions and that the tools will not cultivate uniformly andthat portions of the cultivation will be more shallow than others, withthe result that the plants will vary in development and be of more orless inferior quality. As cropsof uniformly developedand high gradeplants are essential both for'economicreasons and commercial success, itis requisite that cultivation of the soil shall be of uniform depth andwell mulched. This I accomplish by utilizingthe surface of the bedinstead of the ditches foi-controlling the depth ofthe tools by engagingthe surface with the wheel 16. As the cultivator gangs are drawn alongthe beds, the .wheels 16 with the tractor wheels f guide the forwardgangs in a strai ht course 'athat the weeding knives 19 wi lstir thesoil and :cut the weeds and other growths therein bet-Ween the plantrows, thus mixing thecsoil and cut material to such extent as to form amulch to be distributed about the plants by the weeding knives. Theseforward as will be understood, are pivotally mounted upon the supportingbar 10 so that as the gage wheel Lpasses over sliglht inequalities, theweeding knives thus gaged and closely followingin its wake cultivatecorrespondingly and maintain a substantially uniform depth regardless ofundulations or irregularities of the bed surface, and the rows ,ofplants at the sides'thereofare likewise uniformly cultivatedv andmulched. During theoperation described the ridge knives or tools 21are'cuttingaway and trimmingthe sloping sides of the beds intosymmetrical Y formation and throwing the dirt and weeds into the middleof the ditch, which portion is at the same time being cultivated by theshovels 29, each of which cutsja trench through the ditch in which it isdrawn, as indicated at 32 in Fig. 5, so that the dirt and weeds kfromboth sides and middle become mingled to form a mulch for the ditch whilethe ditch is clear and of suicient depth to ycontainthe necessary watersupply. rIt will thus be seen that simultaneously with the Lcultivatingyoperation 'of the bed the ditches at either side are being conditionedfor the recept-ion and absorption of water for suieiently moistening thebeds, and that I obtain a uniformit ofcultivation not heretoforepossible b emethods commonly employed so far as am aware. Y

y s, and as such inequalities arealso present in the bed, it will 'beapparent-- I claim as my invention:

1. In a cultivator, a frame element, a eultivati Y tool on the frame, awheel adjacent the too and traveling on to of ay bed for gag ing thedepthk of the tool t erein, and a tool on said framefor cutting andtrimming the side of a bed. f

2. In a cultivator, a frame element adapted to travel over a bed, animplement supported by the frame for cultivating the top of the bed, awheel on the frame for gaging the depthof the implement, and animpleyment, on the frame extending downwardly along thevr side of thevbed for simultaneously vtrimming the side as the bed isbeingcultlvated.`

3. In a cultivator having wheels adapted to travel in ditches, a frameadapted to travel over abed between said wheels, means on the frame forcultivating the surface of the bed, means on the frame for gaging the te h of the cultivating means 1n the bed, and means on the frame forsimultaneously trimming thel'side of the bed as the surface thereofisfbeing cultivated.

4. a cultivator having Wheels adapted to travel in ditches, .a frame adated to tmvel overa bed between said whee standards sup dA on the frame,implements at the lower end of the standards for cultivating ythesurface of the bed, a gage wheel supportl 5. The combination, with atractor having al' draft member, a framelconnected to. and drawn by saidmember, an adjustable depth gaging wheel mounted on the frame, weedingknives on said frame in rear of the wheel for .cultivating a' bed, andridge knivesfdisposed at opposite sides of the frameand e below theweeding knives for trimming the sides of said bed. i

a bed, means on the frame for controlling the depth of said cultivatingmeans, means dthe frame for trimming the sides of the cultivating andytrenching` a ditch at the side of the bed. Y t

k7. In combination lwith a tractor having draft' means, a frameincluding means for l connecting it to said draft means, a depth gthe 6.Thecombination, with atractor, a Vframe, means on the frame forcultivating and means connected to the tractor for msr ing wheelsupported by the frame, a we mg knife supported by the frame andpositioned at an ang e tothe direction of travel of the tractor forcultivating an elevated a knife kon said frame extending below theweeding knife for trimming the side of the bed`7 and a toolpositioned attherear of the tractor for cultivating a ditch lying parallel withthebed andrsimultaneously with the ris ' cultivation of the bed byjsaidweeding knife. p

` '8, In a cultivator having afframe, a standard supported thereby, adepth gage wheel mounted on the standard, a pair of standards supportedon the frame in rear r,of thegage Wheel, iveedingknives on saidkstandards for cultivating soil in the'path of the gage Wheel,

vertical supports connected to the frame having cutting mea-nsextendingfbelow the Weed-2 ing knives for trimmingy the sidesof a bed,and means behind and lower than said `Weed ing yknives forcultivatingaditch. at the side vof the bed.

o K 9. A tractor'cultivator having :frame mem#y bers disposed atopposite sidesof the tractor, tools on-the frames for cultivating thesur-- faces of beds separated by ditches, a Wheel for guidingthe toolson the bed and for gag?, ing theV depth of said tools, knives o-n theframes extending lower than said cultivating tools for trimming thesides of beds, and tools associated With'the tractor in the rear ofsaidV knives for cultivating ditchesa-t thesides ofthe beds',

410. In a cultivator'for tilling any elevated Y. hed andy irrigationditches alongside thereof, favtractor `havingWheels adaptedk to travielf through vthe ditches, KTa eultivator fframe having a gages-Wheeltraveling ontop' of the bed,

cultivatingmeans supported by the frame ink the `path of thefvvheelforstirring and Weed` i ing .the 'bed and mulching plants, said gage-'Wheel controllingthe depth .of the cultivat-` ingmeans, means ontheframe for trimmi and Weedinglthe sides'of thefbed. and diss'y Ycharging dirt and cut Weeds intoa ditch, and f Y means inthe rear ofsaid trimming and Weeding means for `ftrenching, cultivating and f n fmulching the ditch.' o

vIn testimony whereof I afix mysi ature.

. DANIEL* C; HEIT HU.

